Baldur's Gate 2 - SoA and ToB Updated Walkthrough @ SP

Our older members will remember that we've had an excellent BG2 online walkthrough by Sylvus Moonbow available for over a decade, but sadly his guide was never completed and is missing a few areas. Montresor's comprehensive guide therefore supersedes it, but Sylvus' solution remains a treasure trove of valuable and interesting information (some of which is not covered by Montresor's), so I believe that they will nicely complement each other, along with Dave Milward's excellent downloadable walkthrough available on the same page.

I never played Tales of the Sword Coast….was it a decent expansion? I think I've seen it knocking about on Steam or elsewhere. I also have my BG, BG2, SoA boxes packed away at home…now I'm feeling all nostalgic…

edit: and PS:T of course. Now I feel depressed, thinking of the direction BW have gone

Originally Posted by JDR13
Definitely. Besides raising the experience cap and adding a few inventory tweaks, it adds two of the best, imo, locations in the game- Durlag's Towers, and the Isle of Balduran.

Hm…I see its on GOG - hopefully it will run without a hitch, the last time I tried BG (with original install CDs) I had graphical artifacts I just couldn't get rid off.

Originally Posted by booboo
I never played Tales of the Sword Coast….was it a decent expansion? I think I've seen it knocking about on Steam or elsewhere. I also have my BG, BG2, SoA boxes packed away at home…now I'm feeling all nostalgic…

/

A 2nd vote for TotsC from me; Its worth it for the level cap raise alone; also
some of the major battles are improved, f.i Sarevok is much much tougher; but now so are you……..

Strange; now that I think about it…. I've completed BG + TotSC three or four times; original version; expanded; with Tutu and Mods; but
I have yet to complete BG 2 and ToB once! Time to look for that Black Isle directory I guess…..

The Saverok battle has always been the weakpoint for me. Pretty much all the tactics I have read involve using monster summoning or getting lucky with a web spell or kiting with archers.

I just finished a run through about 2 weeks ago with a paladin who had almost every potion available stacked on him and saverok still chewed through him in a 4-5 rounds. My Paladin had something like 130hp. Any tips on how to battle him straight up?

I just started another run through as a fighter/mage and going to see if mirror image/stoneskin is going to help out but playing BG2 (for the 6th time) with the paladin at the same time so it might take awhile for that to pan out. I also leveled a solo sorc to lvl 9 with my bg tutu install so seeing if the old skull trap tactic works.

Another plus vote to Tales of the Swordcoast and like Codexcat, I must have played through it and BG at least 4-5 times with different mods added (like Tutu) each time. I just love trying out different variations of parties for the banter and the challenges it brings. Durlag's tower is one of the most challenging and enjoyable dungeons in the BG saga fullstop.

Personally, I found the best guide for my adventures back in the day was Six of Spades great site, Volothamp's Comeuppance. I'm pleased that it's still around. http://www.pocketplane.net/volothamp/bgguide.htm
The guy who wrote it was a member of the forum I was on which was always handy if anything needed to be clarified. (ye ol' Ironworks). Forums are still the greatest source for tips - I don't like walkthroughs generally.

Oh and very nice photo there Wolfgrimdark. I never did get the CE, so I'm slightly envious there.

At the time, I preferred BG (+totsc). Played through that at least 7 times in relatively short succession. I prefer the open exploration and sense of vulnerability that the low levels bring - each advancement is a huge step in power.

BG2 though I find easier to go back to these days - not just in the higher resolution, but it starts off with a faster pace and you already feel quite powerful from the beginning - plus there are more differences in different play-throughs according to class and companion choices etc.

Originally Posted by Pessimeister
Durlag's tower is one of the most challenging and enjoyable dungeons in the BG saga fullstop.

I daresay that Durlag's tower is the best designed dungeon I have ever played. I loved every second of it. It is beautiful, challenging and if you choose to read the lore about Durlag and his demise you will find out that it has some Shakespearian quality to it.

I tried to play it last year ? And had to stop, because everyone was just too strong for my party.
I mean, as soon as I was outside of the first town.

-- “ Any intelligent fool can make things bigger, more complex, and more violent. It takes a touch of genius – and a lot of courage – to move in the opposite direction.“ (E.F.Schumacher, Economist, Source)

I thought Durlag's Tower was exceptionally well done, I just wish it had been incorporated into the story. The rest of the expansion I found pretty 'meh'. I did appreciate the higher levels for my characters (though I'd removed the level cap via mod before) as the first time I played through, I was unable to beat Sarevok in any way shape or form.

Originally Posted by kalniel
At the time, I preferred BG (+totsc). Played through that at least 7 times in relatively short succession. I prefer the open exploration and sense of vulnerability that the low levels bring - each advancement is a huge step in power.

BG2 though I find easier to go back to these days - not just in the higher resolution, but it starts off with a faster pace and you already feel quite powerful from the beginning - plus there are more differences in different play-throughs according to class and companion choices etc.

I prefer low level character games, so I find myself going back to BG1 (via tutu) the most, though I almost always play through BG2 anyway! I think what I liked most about BG1 was that it is a far more bright and vibrant world. It's also 'clean.' BG2 is dark and dingy for most of the game, which, while probably more 'realistic', puts me in a dour mood. BG1's color scheme reminded me of the joy I got playing the old Ultima's and other games of the time.

Originally Posted by JDR13
Nope. As much as I liked FO 1&2, BG2 blew them away.

Sorry but not in my case.
BG2 was a great game, but couldn't dethrone FOs.

Originally Posted by JDR13
Same with PS:T, although I could understand how story lovers would prefer PS:T.

Again I disagree. You saying BG2 didn't have a great story? IMO the story was great in both games, and in both games it was perfectly executed, it's just that PS:T had more unique/bizzare one - and I love things like that.

Originally Posted by joxer
Again I disagree. You saying BG2 didn't have a great story? IMO the story was great in both games, and in both games it was perfectly executed, it's just that PS:T had more unique/bizzare one - and I love things like that.

PS:T was inferior in almost every aspect except the story/setting imo. Combat in particular, which was one of my favorite things about BG2, was downright boring in PS:T by comparison. To each his own though.

For gamers of old, the tale of Minsc and Boo was an epic one; where men became legends and hamsters became giants. Though that chapter of BioWare appears to be closed, many still dream of the day were one can relive the quality of Baldur’s Gate with today’s technology. Well my friends, that day is today. Through the dedicated work Spellhold Studios, the BiG World Project injects life into the classic by installing so many mods with ease that Boo would be left speechless.

From the well done German modification Tales of Anegh that bridges Baldur’s Gate with Icewind Dale, to the modernizing of the game with a Widescreen option, there is something for everyone here. Collected carefully from authors around the world not only does this fix every bug known to tread The Sword Coast, it also expands the game with custom quests, area, companions spells, equipment and visuals.

If Aerie and Jaheria are growing old on you, there are plenty of new companions to bring along. Auren Aseph, a twenty year old fighter from the town of Bereghost who happens to have a small feud with Nalia can join you on your adventure. Having her and Nalia in the same group will cause much bickering to ensue. The work put into companions alone is simply staggering and shows how devoted the Baldur’s Gate community is. Here is a sample of some of the companions you could travel with:

Many of these companions feature their own voice-acting, personal storylines, romances which make them all worth the price of admission (nothing). The banter packs are also a subtle addition to the game that add more personality and story between the companions (both original and modded) helping flesh out The Sword Coast. Watch who you party with, Minsc might give you a swift kick in the morals!

I remember seeing that no long ago, made me want to fire it up again! I like that the addition of companions includes a lot of quests, personal storylines, romances, etc. When I first started playing mods years back, I found it very disappointing to add new characters and find them to be basically shallow sprites. Not that I didn't respect the work that went into them, but you really realize how much the companions make the game when that stuff is missing.

Originally Posted by kalniel
At the time, I preferred BG (+totsc). Played through that at least 7 times in relatively short succession. I prefer the open exploration and sense of vulnerability that the low levels bring - each advancement is a huge step in power.

BG2 though I find easier to go back to these days - not just in the higher resolution, but it starts off with a faster pace and you already feel quite powerful from the beginning - plus there are more differences in different play-throughs according to class and companion choices etc.

have you tried playing BG with the tutu mod? tut allows you to play BG with BGII's UI & updated game engine, which along with the widescreen mod brings Baldurs Gate up to GBII standards in every way.

BG will always be my favorite becasue of the more open world. I still remember the first time I played, I was in RPG heaven! It's sad that the golden age of CRPGs are over…